Certain electro-active optical systems include one or more lenses having an electro-active optical structure. In many instances, such structures lie in an interior portion of the lens, and are therefore physically removed from a control unit. In some instances, such as with a pair of spectacles, the control unit may lie in some portion of the frame or in may be external to the frame and connect to the lens via the frame. In such instances, the lens can have transparent conductive structures (e.g., conductive lines) that connect the electro-active optical structure to a contact on the edge of the lens, for example. To be in electrical communication with the control unit, such contacts on the edge of the lens must be in electrical communication with electrical contacts that are part of the frame.
In some instances, the contacts on the lens can be positioned so as to line up with one or more contacts on the frame, such that an electrical connection is made when the lens is fit into the frame. The lens-frame connection can loosen over time, however. Therefore, one can also employ an electrically conductive pre-formed deformable article that lies between the lens and the frame. This deformable article can provide a robust electrical connection, while maintaining the contact even as the physical connection between the frame and lens loosens. But over time, even these connections can fail, as they rely on physical contact.
Thus, it may be desirable to develop electrically conductive deformable connectors that will remain robust, even as the frames loosen over time.